Good Friday around the world

March 29, 2013

Christians from Indonesia to Poland pray and re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Philippines marks Easter with bloody mock crucifixions

SHOTLIST: +WARNING: CONTAIN GRAPHIC IMAGES OF MOCK CRUCIFIXIONS+ SAN FERNANDO, PHILIPPINES, MAR 29, 2013, SOURCE: AFPTV - Men perform penance in the streets - CU of their bloody backs as they whip themselves SOUNDBITE 1 Edwin Marin (man), Catholic who performs penance (Tagalog, 10 sec): "We whipped our back as part of our penance not only to be seen, but it is our prayer." -VAR men performing penance SOUNDBITE 2 Maritess Quintanar (woman), Catholic (Tagalog, 12 sec): "We will see how Jesus Christ was crucified, and feel his hardships. That's what we want to impart to our children." - A man carries a cross through the streets - Two men approach the hill staging three crosses - VAR man being nailed to a cross SOUNDBITE 3 Charlotte Johansen (woman), Norwegian living in Manila (English, 8 sec): "I find it very fascinating that someone will go to that length or subject himself to that kind of pain because of their religious beliefs and tradition." - VAR man on a cross /// ---------------------------------------------------- AFP TEXT STORY: Easter-Philippines-religious-crucifixion,lead Philippines marks Easter with bloody mock crucifixions by Noel Celis SAN FERNANDO, Philippines, March 29, 2013 (AFP) - Catholic zealots in the Philippines re-enacted the last hours of Jesus Christ on Good Friday, whipping their backs and nailing themselves to crosses in a grisly Easter ritual that persists despite Church disapproval. Foreign and local tourists flocked to the outskirts of the city of San Fernando, a 90-minute drive from Manila, to see the annual spectacle where a Christian "passion play" is taken to its blood-soaked extreme. At least 18 men had nails driven through their hands and were hung up on crosses under the hot sun in vacant plots around the city. Elsewhere hooded men lashed their bloody backs with cloth and bamboo whips, doing penance for their sins while spraying onlookers with flecks of blood. Devotees commit to undergo the mock crucifixion in exchange for a gift from God such as the healing of a sick loved one. "I am used to it already," said Alex Laranang, 58, who was nailed up for the 14th time. Laranang, a short, sunburnt man who sells baked buns to bus passengers, said: "It is just like a needle going through my hand. After two days, I am ready to go back to work again." So far, he told AFP, his suffering has been rewarded as his wife and children enjoy good health and he continues to make a decent living. "I am doing this for my family, so that no one will get sick and that my livelihood will continue. I am just a poor man. But I don't ask God to make me rich," he said. At least two of the men hung on crosses had to be carried away on stretchers after being taken down, but most managed to walk to a medical tent for treatment as Western tourists snapped pictures. Norwegian Charlotte Johanssen, 26, a Manila resident who was among the crowd of onlookers, said some of her visiting friends had found the sight too much to take. "I have friends who felt sick to their stomachs and who got nauseated," said Johanssen, who works for an aid group in the Philippine capital. "There are those who get amazed. You can't imagine how anyone can subject themselves to this kind of pain," she said. The mock crucifixions have been going on for decades despite official disapproval from the Philippines' Catholic bishops. "The bishops have been saying for a long time they disapprove of this. But people make such vows. They sacrifice themselves for others," said Father Francis Lucas, executive director of the Philippine bishops' media office. "We have so many crosses to bear in life. We don't need to bear a real one," he told AFP. He also warned against efforts to use the event to boost tourism, saying: "That is really wrong". San Fernando City conveniently listed the locations and schedules for the mock crucifixions on its tourism website, complete with a map so visitors could follow the action. The Philippines, a former Spanish colony, is home to more than 80 million Catholics and the Church wields strong influence, ensuring that divorce and abortion remain illegal. Some Filipinos were disappointed that Manila archbishop Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle missed out this month when Argentina's Jorge Mario Bergoglio was chosen at a Vatican papal conclave to succeed Benedict XVI, becoming Pope Francis. On the southern island of Mindanao a Good Friday religious procession dissolved into panic when communist rebels attacked security forces guarding the event, killing two village militiaman, police said. END

Actors Perform The Easter Passion Of Jesus In Trafalgar Square

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 29: Actors of the Wintershall Players prepare to perform 'The Passion of Jesus' on Good Friday to crowds in Trafalgar Square on March 29, 2013 in London, England. The Wintershall Players are based on the Wintershall Estate in Surrey and perform several biblical theatrical productions per year. Their production of 'The Passion of Jesus' includes a cast of 78 actors, horses, a donkey and authentic costumes of Roman soldiers in the 12th Legion of the Roman Army. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Actors Perform The Easter Passion Of Jesus In Trafalgar Square

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 29: Actors of the Wintershall Players perform 'The Passion of Jesus' on Good Friday to crowds in Trafalgar Square on March 29, 2013 in London, England. The Wintershall Players are based on the Wintershall Estate in Surrey and perform several biblical theatrical productions per year. Their production of 'The Passion of Jesus' includes a cast of 78 actors, horses, a donkey and authentic costumes of Roman soldiers in the 12th Legion of the Roman Army. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Actors Perform The Easter Passion Of Jesus In Trafalgar Square

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 29: Actor James Burke-Dunsmore plays Jesus in 'The Passion of Jesus' on Good Friday to crowds in Trafalgar Square on March 29, 2013 in London, England. The Wintershall Players are based on the Wintershall Estate in Surrey and perform several biblical theatrical productions per year. Their production of 'The Passion of Jesus' includes a cast of 78 actors, horses, a donkey and authentic costumes of Roman soldiers in the 12th Legion of the Roman Army. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Actors Perform The Easter Passion Of Jesus In Trafalgar Square

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 29: Actor James Burke-Dunsmore (C) plays Jesus in 'The Passion of Jesus' on Good Friday to crowds in Trafalgar Square on March 29, 2013 in London, England. The Wintershall Players are based on the Wintershall Estate in Surrey and perform several biblical theatrical productions per year. Their production of 'The Passion of Jesus' includes a cast of 78 actors, horses, a donkey and authentic costumes of Roman soldiers in the 12th Legion of the Roman Army. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)